What A Difference A Year Makes
by Truthtakestime
Summary: Sequel to Hawaii :) On their one year wedding anniversary Sydney and Vaughn relive their past year together. AU fluff :)
1. Default Chapter

Hey!

I finally got around to posting the Hawaii sequel so here it goes :) ...

**Summary:** After the wedding in Hawaii last year, Sydney and Vaughn spend their one year anniversary remincising about the past year of married life.

Totally AU!

**Chapter 1**

Sydney slowly crept up the stairs, a tray of freshly cooked food in her hands. She pushed open the bedroom door with her foot, and walked over to the bed placing the tray down beside his sleeping body. She sat on the other side of him, smiling at how peaceful he looked as he slept. Leaning forward slightly, she gently stroked his nose with her index finger, laughing as he twitched his nose, his lips slowly curving into a smile as he realized who it was. She placed a light kiss on his lips as he opened his eyes.

"Happy anniversary!" She whispered as they broke apart, her smile remaining on her face. He mirrored her smile, as he reached his hand up to her face, bringing her lips towards his for another kiss.

"Happy anniversary baby." His smile grew as he noticed what she was wearing. It had become like a morning tradition for Sydney to get up and put on a pair of Vaughn's boxers and one of his shirts which was left lying on the back of the chair. Sydney found that his clothes smelt a lot like him, and by wearing them she felt like she was still in his arms. Vaughn had to admit that even though they were his clothes, she looked pretty good in them.

"I made you breakfast." She glanced towards the tray. "But you don't get your gift until later!"

"Oh, I don't?" Vaughn asked, his eyebrows raised with curiosity. Sydney quickly nodded, her smile brightening. "Ok, so you can have yours later too!" Sydney nodded and picked up his hand, bringing it to her lips.

"So what do you want to do today?" She asked, kissing is hand softly. She linked their fingers together, their hands now resting on Vaughn's chest.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe we could spend the whole day doing things that we like!" He suggested, as he picked up a piece of toast and held it infront of her, so that she could take a bite, before taking a bite himself. "Oh, I actually have an idea of where we can go first!"

"You do?" Vaughn nodded. "Ok, I'll go and get ready!" She gave him a quick kiss before jumping up and going into the bathroom.

Vaughn sat up in the bed, and started eating the breakfast that she had made for him. Everything in his life was going the way he had planned; him and Sydney were happily married, he had left the CIA and was now teaching like he had started to do when Sydney had 'died.' _I can't believe that it's been a whole year since our wedding…_

Flashback

**Michael took hold of her hand as he began to say his vows. "Sydney, from the moment I first met you, I knew that there was something special about you. Something that amazed me, intrigued me, and made me fall in love with you. When my father's watched stopped, I thought 'this is it! I've found the woman that I'm meant to spend my whole life with!' But the truth is I knew way before then that I was head over heels in love with you, it just took me a while to tell you that!" Sydney looked into his eyes, the love he had for her visible in them. "Now that you know how I feel about you, I want to spend the rest of my life making your dreams come true, waking up next to you every morning, and just loving you." **

"**I haven't actually written any vows, you know I only found out I was getting married a couple of hours ago!" They smiled at each other and Michael couldn't help but admire the small dimples that accompanied her smile. "I love you Michael and with each passing day I seem to fall more and more in love with you." Sydney looked over Vaughn's shoulder, and saw Irina standing a couple of metres away from them. She waved at Sydney and then turned, walking slowly down the beach. Sydney smiled, knowing that that wouldn't be the last time that she would see her mother. **

**She continued with her vows. "I've seen the lengths that you're willing to go to just to make me happy, and I ask myself what I could have possibly done to deserve having you in my life, loving me the way you do. I love you." Michael smiled at her and leaned forward, placing a chaste kiss on her lips. **

"**Michael, if you would like to repeat after me. I Michael Vaughn, take you Sydney Bristow, to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do us part." Michael gently rubbed his thumb over her knuckles as he recited after the priest. **

"**Now Sydney, repeat after me. I Michael Vaughn, take you Sydney Bristow, to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do us part." **

**After Sydney had finished talking, the priest closed over his book, holding it securely infront of him. Amelie took a tissue out of her bag and wiped her eyes. Jack saw that she was crying and placed his hand over hers, squeezing it gently.**

"**By the power invested in me by the Church of Mammals," Michael's eyes widened as he quickly turned his head to look at the priest. _Please tell me he did not just say that…_ The priest smiled at him, trying to hold back his laughter. _Marshall has a cruel sense of humour._ He looked back at Sydney who was laughing at Marshall's little prank and started to laugh along with her. **

"**By the power invested in me by the State of California," the priest smiled at them both. "I know pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride."**

End Flashback

"So where is it we're going exactly?" Sydney asked as they got into his car. Michael had told her that he would drive, as she didn't have a clue where he was taking her.

"Be patient, you'll find out when we get there!"

Sydney rolled her eyes and sat back into the seat. "Fine!" She turned up the radio and smiled when Sheryl Crow came on. "Everyday is a winding road!" She sung along with the radio, her head moving in time with the music. Vaughn glanced at her and shook his head. _Oh no, not again._

Flashback

**Vaughn rested his hand on the steering wheel, his other hand holding up his head. They had been stuck in all the traffic coming out of the airport for the past half an hour. He was shattered after the flight back from Hawaii, but Sydney was suddenly full of energy, her eyes wide open. Joni Mitchell was playing on the radio, Vaughn finding that the soothing music was helping him to relax. **

**As the song finished, Sydney smiled, hoping that they could now listen to something better. But just as she thought it was over, another song started playing. **

"**You have got to be kidding me!" She threw her head back and shut her eyes, wanting to drown out the music. **

**Vaughn laughed and looked at her. "What?" **

"**This music! Who knows how long we're gonna be stuck in this traffic jam, we're not even moving, so please can we listen to something else? I couldn't possibly put up with this for the whole ride home!" She looked at him with puppy eyes hoping that he would say yes. **

"**But it's Joni!" Michael protested. **

"**I know! That's the problem." Sydney murmured under her breath. "But look," she pressed one of the buttons on the radio. "It's Sheryl!" She smiled proudly at him, and started singing along with the song. **

"**We are not listening to Sheryl Crow in my car." Vaughn stated, turning the radio back to Joni Mitchell. **

"**Sheryl could kick Joni's ass." Sydney pointed out, turning the radio back over. "Which is exactly what I could do to you!" She stuck her tongue out at him, making it seem like she was only joking. But they both knew that she was capable of it; even though she would never actually do it. **

"**Oh yeah like Sheryl could kick her ass! What's she gonna do, beat her with her guitar?" He asked sarcastically. Sydney stared back at him, not amused by his joke. **

"**Vaughn…" **

**He sighed. "Fine, just this once I'll let you listen to her!" **

"**Good!" Sydney smiled at her victory, and continued to sing. "Oh, I just had the best idea!" **

"**What?"**

"**I'll get us tickets. We can go to her next concert." She jumped up and down in her seat, excited by her idea. Vaughn laughed and shook his head. **

"**Sydney, I draw the line at letting you listen to her in my car. There is no way that I am going to a Sheryl Crow concert." **

"**Fine! I'll just take Weiss instead." **

End Flashback

"What are you laughing at?" Sydney asked, as Vaughn pulled over the car at their destination.

"You remember our first fight?" He asked, his laughter starting to die down.

"Yeah!" Sydney smiled. "The one about Joni and Sheryl. Yeah that was a fun first fight." She laughed along with him.

"Yeah." He agreed with her. "Oh, I forgot to tell you something this morning." Sydney turned to face him in her seat.

"What?"

"I love you." Her smile grew as he leaned in and kissed her.

"I love you too."

He looked out of the window and smiled. "We're here."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Sydney looked out of the window and smiled. "The beach?" Vaughn nodded as he got out of the car, walked around to her side, and opened the door for her. He took hold of her hand and helped her up, immediately pulling her into his embrace.

"Yep, the place where it all started, one year ago." He smiled as he kissed the top of her head, hugging her closer to him. Sydney felt her eyes fill up as she looked out towards the ocean. Just when she thought she couldn't possibly love him anymore, he would go and do something like this, making her fall even more in love with him.

"Let's go for a walk." She whispered, slipping her hand in his and leading him towards the sand.

They walked along the beach hand in hand; both of them lost in their own thoughts. Vaughn was thinking back to the wedding, and although the beaches in LA differed a lot to the beach in Hawaii, he could still picture the whole ceremony as he looked down the beach. Sydney smiled, as she watched two little girls building castles in the sand, while their parents watched happily over them. She tightened her grip on his hand, her other hand coming up to hold his arm, as she snuggled closer into him. She always dreamed of having a family with Michael, and she knew that one day soon they would have one.

Vaughn stopped walking and sat down in the sand, tugging slightly on her arm for her to join him. She sat down in-between his legs, his arms wrapped securely around her. She closed her eyes as she leaned back into this chest, the sound of the waves hitting the shore filling her ears.

Flashback

Sydney smiled as she leaned back on Vaughn, his arms resting lightly infront of her. "Michael, I really don't think that I should be sitting on the sand in a wedding dress!" She informed him, looking down at her dress, which she knew would be covered in sand by the time she stood up. Michael laughed, his arms tightening around her as he placed light kisses down her neck.

"**That's what we have dry cleaners for!" He replied between kisses. He knew that she was right, but at that moment he was too happy to care. All he could think about was that Sydney was now his wife. They were finally married. **

"**Ok, that's so not the point…" She trailed off, as the feeling of his lips on her skin made it difficult for her to remember what she was going to say. After a couple of seconds she shook herself out of the trance he had her under, and turned to face him. "My point being that I don't even know how much this dress cost, but I can probably tell you that it was far too expensive to be getting covered in sand." He smiled, lowering his lips to hers. **

"**You're right!" He stood up, holding out his hand to help her up. He pulled her up, his smile still on his face. **

"**What are we doing?" She asked. She knew that they probably weren't going back to the hotel, where they had left everyone partying. A little while after the party had started, the pair of them managed to slip away unnoticed, deciding that they wanted to be left alone for a while. They both weren't ready to go back yet. **

"**Dance with me." He whispered, loud enough for only her to hear, although the beach was almost deserted. **

"**What?" She wasn't quite sure if he was serious or not. **

**He took her in his arms, one hand resting on her lower back, the other holding one of her hands. "It's custom for the bride and groom to dance together on their wedding night." She laughed and slowly shook her head. **

"**Yeah, when there's music, and a crowd of people watching as they go 'Aww'" She found herself slowly moving sideways with him, although she seemed to be protesting. **

**He held her closer, his head resting lightly against hers. "We don't need music…we can listen to the sea!" His voice was hushed, as he brought his mouth closer to her ear. "And who needs people? All that matters is that it's you and me." He was now whispering, as he placed sweet chaste kisses on her ear, his lips lingering there for a few seconds afterwards. **

**Sydney smiled at his words, and nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck. And there they stood, dancing together, the moon and stars shinning down on them while the sea provided all the music that they needed. **

End Flashback

After sitting on the beach for half an hour, Sydney stood up, pulling Vaughn up with her. "So, what are we doing next?" She asked, wrapping her arm around his waist.

"Well that's up to you!" He told her, softly kissing the side of her head. She looked up at him, waiting for him to explain. "You see, I picked the beach, so now you get to choose the next thing that we do!" Sydney smiled, as she thought about what they could do next.

"Ok." She took his car keys off him, and got in to the driver's side of the car.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Do you mind telling me where we're going?" Vaughn asked, as they got out of the car. They were in the middle of a packed street, surrounded by clothes shops and various other stores. Sydney smiled as she slipped her hand in his.

"Well we were gonna go shopping, but there's been a change of plans." He looked at her cautiously, wondering where she was taking him.

"We are not shopping, for at least another ten years. My credit card is still recovering from our wedding!" He joked, although he was telling the truth. Sydney laughed at him, and held his hand tighter.

Flashback

"There's some mail for you." Sydney handed him a bunch of letters as she walked into the kitchen, placing a light kiss on his cheek as she walked past.

"Thanks!" He sifted through the mail, placing the junk mail on the counter infront of him. He was left holding the letter that he had been dreading receiving.

"**You want some coffee?" Sydney offered, totally oblivious to what he held in his hand. **

"**Er…sure." He opened that envelope and took out the bank statement. It had been 5 weeks since the wedding, and he had dreaded his statement coming. He looked at the letter, his eyes immediately falling on the figure at the bottom of the page. "Oh God!" **

**Sydney spun around, two cups of hot coffee in her hand. "What?" **

"**Oh, it's just my bank statement…" **

**She nodded and walked towards him, placing on cup on the counter beside him. Sitting down at the kitchen table, she opened up the morning paper and started reading. She read the first two lines of an article and then looked back up at him, realising what he meant by 'bank statement.' **

"**The wedding." She stated, her voice barely above a whisper. She got up and walked to stand infront of him. "How much is it?" She wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to know just how much he'd spent on their wedding. **

"**Well let's just say I'm gonna have an over-draft for the next 50-60 years." He glanced up from the letter and looked at her. **

**She took the piece of paper off him. "I'll help you pay…" She stopped speaking as she saw just how much money he owed. "Wow! You spent this much?" She asked in disbelief.**

**He smiled sheepishly at her. "Well yeah. The dress alone cost like a third of that." He shrugged and took the letter back off her, folding it up and putting it back in the envelope. **

**Sydney wrapped her arms around his waist; her eyes focused on his. "We could always take the dress back!" She suggested. "It'll help to pay some of that off." **

**Vaughn shook his head and leaned down to kiss her. "I bought the dress for you…it'd be wrong for somebody else to wear it." He put his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace. "Don't worry about the money. I wanted to give you the perfect wedding, the amount of money doesn't even come into it." He reassured her, lightly kissing the top of her head. **

"**I love you." She hugged him tighter, her head resting on his chest. **

"**I know you do. I love you too." **

End Flashback

"We could have just window shopped!"

Michael looked at her, his left eyebrow raised slightly. "Sydney Vaughn does not do window shopping. Window shopping to you, is standing outside the shop for twenty minutes. Then you go inside to not only buy the thing you've been staring at, but you somehow manage to find other things that you have to buy!"

Sydney's cheeks blushed as he finished talking. She knew what he was saying was true, but she wasn't about to admit that to him. "Shut up!" She playfully pushed him, and stopped walking. Vaughn carried on walking, totally oblivious to the fact that she was no longer by his side. He eventually turned around to look at her.

"You've stopped walking why?"

"Because we're here!" She replied, glancing at her chosen location. He followed her gaze and laughed.

"Starbucks? You're taking me to Starbucks?" He raised his eyebrows at her, hoping that she was joking.

She smiled sweetly at him and nodded. "Yep!"

He looked between her and the shop, trying to figure out why they were there. "Ok, so help me out a little…"

"Well," she took a step towards him, her arm wrapping around his shoulder. "You said today was about doing things that we both like…" He nodded, still unsure about where she was going with this. "You like coffee, and I like coffee! So stop complaining, I'm buying." She ushered him into the coffee shop.

"I will never understand just how your mind works!"

"You're not supposed to!" She laughed, leaning forward to kiss him. "Go sit down, I'll get the drinks."

A couple of minutes later, she joined him at the table and handed him his coffee. They sat talking and laughing together, both happy being in each other's company.

"Vaughn…" Sydney said, laughter now gone from her face. He knew that it was something serious, ever since they got married she had tried her best to only call him Michael, but whenever it was something serious she used his last name. There had been times when she would call him Vaughn, as a slip of the tongue, but judging by her face he knew she was serious.

"What's wrong."

"There's something I've been wanting to tell you. I've been keeping it a secret for the past year, but I can't keep it to myself anymore." She put her coffee down on the table and looked at him.

"Ok…"

"My mom was at our wedding."

"What?"

"You know how I was a little late coming to the wedding?" Vaughn nodded. "Well it wasn't because I was getting cold feet. When Carrie and me were on the beach, I thought I spotted my mom, but it was only a quick glance so I wasn't too sure. I looked back and it was her, I couldn't believe it. So I got Carrie to stall for me while I went to see her. You know the necklace I wear everyday, she gave it to me. My father gave it to her, and she wanted me to have it."

Vaughn looked down at the table as he thought about everything that she'd just told him. "How come I never saw her?"

"I asked her to stay for the wedding, but out of courtesy to you and your mom, she refused." She reached across the table and took his hand in hers. "I'm sorry that I never told you before…"

"It's ok." He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. "Every girl deserves to have her mom at her wedding!"

Sydney nodded. "I know." She watched as he took another sip of his drink, as she debated with herself about whether or not she should tell him the whole truth. His eyes met hers and she knew that she had to tell him. She couldn't keep it from him for much longer. "That's not the only time I've saw my mother, Vaughn."

Flashback

**Sydney got out of the shower and put on her bathrobe. Vaughn was out playing hockey with Weiss as he did every Tuesday, so she had a big night infront of the T.V planned. She quickly combed her hair and tied it back. The house that she shared with Vaughn was silent, except for the sound of Sydney humming one of the songs that she'd heard on the radio the previous morning. She tied her hair back, and walked into the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of wine and sat down on the couch, a book open on her lap. The room was darkened, the only light coming from the lit fireplace and the small lamp that was next to the couch. **

**Sydney began reading when she heard a noise behind her. She quickly snapped the book shut and turned around to come face to face with her mother. "Mom?" **

**Irina stepped further into the room and smiled at her daughter. "Hi." **

**Sydney stood up and walked towards her. "How did you get in?" She knew that she had locked the door as soon as Vaughn had left, so she had no idea how Irina had found a way in. **

**Irina wrapped her arms around her daughter. "Sydney, did you really think I would have used the doorbell?" She joked. "Besides, you may want to rethink the security in this place!" Although it was said with a light tone, Sydney knew that her mother meant every word. **

"**What are you doing here?"**

"**Can I mother not stop by to visit her daughter every once in a while?" Sydney smiled. She poured her mom a drink and they both sat down on the couch. **

"**So, I hear you're leaving the Agency?" **

**Sydney looked away from the fire, and stared at her mother. "How did you know?" **

"**I have my contacts!" She stated, taking a sip of her drink. **

**Sydney sighed. She knew that she would never know everything about her mother, and that scared her a little bit. "I working out my notice. I only have a couple of more weeks to go and then I'm out." **

"**Any particular reason that you're leaving?" **

"**I just didn't want that life anymore. So many bad things have happened to me because of it; I lost Danny, Francie, Will, two years of my life, even Vaughn at one point. I want a normal life for Vaughn and me, and now we can have that." Sydney wiped away a tear that was rolling down her cheek. The room grew silent, as both women stared intently at the fire. After a couple of minutes Irina spoke, although her voice was barely above a whisper. **

"**I never wanted this life for you Sydney. When I found out I was pregnant with you, I panicked. There was no way that I could raise a child and still do the job that I had. But somehow I found a way. And I tried to convince myself that things would be different for you; that you'd find your own path in life that didn't involve espionage. I wanted you to be safe, and not have to worry about whether you were endangering you're life by going to work each morning. When I found about that you were with the Agency, I was furious. Me and your father argued a lot about it, but there was nothing we could do about it; you'd already become too involved with it all." Irina paused, and looked over at her daughter. "Once you're out Sydney, never, ever, go back to that life. It takes too much away from you, and it just isn't worth it." Sydney could hear the sadness and regret in her mother's voice, but she didn't push the subject any further. Although she didn't know an awful lot about her mother, she knew that this conversation had just brought them a little bit closer. **

End Flashback


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 

Sydney's heart was racing as she waited for him to say something. Anything would be better than the silence that they were now sitting in. Vaughn stared down at the table, the news that she had told him still registering in his mind. He could understand her mom being at her wedding; that was something that every girl deserved to have. But the fact that Irina Derevko had been in his house, sitting on their sofa was too hard for him to understand. And the fact that Sydney had hidden this from him, only made things worse.

Finally, Sydney couldn't take the silence any longer. "Michael…?"

He slowly raised his eyes from the table and looked at her. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Sydney felt guilty for keeping this to herself, but she had his best interests at heart. "I didn't want to hurt you." She paused and stood up to sit beside him. "I know the pain that that woman has caused you, and I didn't want to bring all that to the surface again." Vaughn remained silent so she continued. "At the time, I still worked for the CIA. And having Irina Derevko sitting in my living room, was not exactly a smart move. She's on the CIA's most wanted list and by not taking her into custody while she was in our house, I was breaking a dozen federal laws. I could live with myself being caught for that Vaughn, but I didn't want anything to happen to you because of it."

"And you think nothing would have happened to me, if you'd had been put in prison? At the least they would have given you life, and I couldn't live with that Sydney. I couldn't lose you again."

"I knew what I was risking Vaughn, but she's my mother. I can't begin to tell you what not having her in my life has done to me. I just wanted to pretend, even for a little while, that she was like any other mother; always there for me when I need her." Sydney quickly wiped a tear away from her cheek. She suddenly remembered that they were in a public place, and she tried to stop the rest of her tears from falling. Vaughn could see that she was upset and moved closer to her, wrapping his arm around her delicate shoulders.

He gently hugged her. "It's ok."

She leaned slightly back from his embrace so that she could see his face. "I wasn't going to tell you; it was all in the past and that's were I thought it should stay. But then I thought about today; about how important you are to me, and I knew that I couldn't keep any secrets from you." She closed the gap between them and lightly kissed him on the lips, and to her surprise, he kissed her back.

They finished their drinks and left Starbucks. Sydney felt better that she had told him and Michael was glad that he now knew. He took his hand in hers as they walked down the street towards their parked car.

"So, I believe it's your turn to pick the next destination…" Sydney wanted to lighten the mood, after what she had just told him. Vaughn was silent for a minute, before flashing her a knowing smile.

"Yes it is. And I know the perfect place."

Twenty minutes later, they were stood outside the ice rink. Sydney smiled at him; she loved it when they went skating together; only she wasn't fully aware of the surprise that Vaughn was planning for her. They walked inside the rink to find it empty. The guy behind the counter told them that a junior hockey practise had just finished, and they weren't expecting any other customers for at least another hour.

Vaughn paid the guy for the two of them and then turned to Sydney. "Honey, why don't you go and wait for me by the stands." He kissed her cheek, and watched her walk away, a confused look on her face.

Sydney did as he asked, and waited patiently by the edge of the ice. The whole rink was empty, and the room was silent, apart from the slight buzz coming from the air conditioning. She was so relaxed sitting there, that she didn't notice Vaughn walking towards her, a huge smile on his face.

"What was going on back there?" Sydney asked, eager to find out what Vaughn was up to.

He leaned towards forward, planting a kiss on her lips. "It's a surprise." Sydney smiled; Michael's surprises were always so sweet, but she hated having to wait in anticipation for them.

"Ok." She looked down at his hands to see that they were empty. They couldn't exactly skate without boots. "Where are the boots?"

His smile grew wider as he took her hand. "See that's the surprise." He pulled her to her feet and they started walking towards the edge of the ice. "We are going to skate, but first I have something better for us to do." He nodded towards the left end of the rink, as the doors opened and a white zamboni machine was driven onto the ice.

Sydney watched in amazement as the machine got closer to them. She tightened her grip on his hand, as her smile grew. The guy driving it brought it to a stop infront of them and climbed out.

"She's all yours." He tossed the keys at Vaughn and walked out of the rink, leaving them alone. Sydney wasn't sure if she'd heard him right; _we can drive the zamboni?_

She turned to look at Vaughn, as he played with the keys in his hand. "You didn't?" She asked, totally stunned that he had done something like that for her. Every day he kept surprising her with his romantic gestures, making her fall more and more in love with him.

He shrugged shyly. "I know how much you love them, and I thought that seeing as today is our special day, you should as least get it drive it!" She led her towards the machine, holding her steadily as they walked on the ice.

They both climbed into the zamboni, and Vaughn handed her the keys. Ever since Sydney was a child, she had loved the zamboni, and now she had the chance to drive one. Before putting the keys in the ignition, she turned to face her husband.

"Thank you." She cupped his face with her hands, and brought his lips closer to her own.

"It was worth it to see the look on your face." He replied, as she put the keys in the machine.

She put her foot down on the pedal, and laughed as the zamboni started moving forward. Vaughn watched her curiously out of the corner of his eye, the look of sheer excitement being worth the 75 that he had paid the guy to let her do this. Vaughn knew that money would never be an issue when it came to making her happy, he would gladly give everything that he had to see her smile, the way that she was now.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

After they had driven around on the Zamboni for what felt like hours, Vaughn bought a pair of boots for them both so that they could skate. Sydney sat on the bench, a huge smile on her face. She laced up her boots and then stood infront of Vaughn, who was still sat on the bench.

"I never really used to come here often, until I met you." She smiled at him as she leaned down to kiss him. He rested his hands on her hips, his thumbs gently rubbing against her skin. "And now I love skating, I love playing hockey, and do you know what else I love?"

Vaughn smiled shyly, thinking that he already knew her answer. "What?"

"Kicking your ass!"

He laughed at her, and shuck his head. "Oh really?" He asked sarcastically.

Sydney nodded confidently, a smile on her face. "Yes."

"You do remember what happened the last time you said that right?"

** Flashback **

"**I'm am so gonna kick your ass." Sydney told Vaughn as she stood on the ice, the hockey puck resting next to her stick. Vaughn looked at her sceptically and rolled his eyes.**

"**I'd be warned my man." Weiss joked as he skated past, patting Vaughn on the back. "She's gonna kick your ass." He mimicked Sydney, and Vaughn found if hard to hold his laughter in. **

**She pointed her hockey stick at Weiss. "Just for that comment Weiss, your ass is getting kicked too!" **

**Weiss and Vaughn looked at each other in amazement and laughed. The three of them had decided to spend their Sunday at the ice rink, and ever since there had got there, Sydney had been acting strangely. Vaughn had told her to stop being so cocky, but she had informed him that she was being confident, not cocky. **

"**Bring it on Bristow!" **

"**Hey, it's Vaughn now." She kindly reminded him, smiling happily at her husband. **

"**Whatever." Weiss rolled his eyes and pointed to the hockey net. "Just get the puck in the back of the net."**

**Weiss and Vaughn stood blocking the net, a smug smile on both of their faces. They knew that there was no chance that she could get the puck in, especially not with them both standing right infront of the net. **

"**Now come on, play fair!" She warned them, skating into the middle of the rink. Weiss whispered something in Vaughn's ear and they both moved away from the net, leaving the goal completely open. Sydney watched with confusion as they both skated over to the side of the rink and waved at her to take the shot. **

**Rolling her eyes, and muttering something about guys being jerks, Sydney began skating towards the net, the puck moving steadily infront of her. They were making this too easy for her; surely they didn't want her to beat them?**

"**Go girlfriend!" Vaughn and Weiss shouted over to her, causing her to look away from what she was doing, although she was still skating forward. She laughed, watching them dance at the side of the rink. **

"**You have got to be kidding me!" She yelled at them, and then faced forward to see the net getting closer to her. Before she could stop herself, she skated into the back of it and fell backwards onto the ice. **

Weiss and Vaughn were barely able to stand up straight as they skated over to her. They were both doubled over with laughter, while Sydney propped herself up on the ice and looked at them, and embarrassed smile on her face. She couldn't believe that she had just made a show of herself infront of them, especially after she had repeatedly told them that she was gonna kick their asses.

**Weiss finally managed to control his laughter and looked into the net at Sydney. "So by kicking our asses, you really meant just fall flat on _yours_, right?" Vaughn laughed harder at Weiss joke, although Sydney didn't look to amused. She tired to kick Weiss's leg, but the blade of her boot got caught in the net. **

**She laughed and lay back down on the ice, her hands covering her face. "Kill me now…" She groaned.**

End Flashback

Sydney blushed at the memory and cleared her throat. "Ok, so maybe you didn't quite get your ass kicked _that_ day…" Vaughn stood up and took her hand in his. _She's so cute when she's embarrassed. _

"Face it Syd," He led her down the steps towards the rink. "You're never gonna be able to kick my ass. It's just not possible!" He shrugged, and tried to hide his smile from her but she caught him. She punched him in the arm and stepped onto the ice.

"Honey," she smiled sweetly, but Vaughn knew that whatever was coming next would be anything other than sweet. "I am so gonna make sure that today I beat you at this game." She told him firmly. Vaughn rolled his eyes and left to get 2 hockey sticks and a puck from the guy at the front desk.

He came back and handed one of the sticks to her and tossed the puck on the ice. "Ok Syd, I think it's time for you to kick my ass." He mimicked her, skating further onto the rink. Sydney rolled her eyes and followed him, lightly pushing the puck infront of her with her stick. She was now more determined that ever that she would beat him.

Vaughn stood in between her and the net, knowing that if she were to make any attempt at getting the puck in, she would have to get past him first; giving him the perfect opportunity to take it away from her. Sydney knew what he was doing and smiled; there was no way that she was going to fall for his tricks.

As Sydney started to skate towards the goal, Vaughn moved forward and tried to get the puck away from her. But before he had the chance, she dodged him and knocked the puck to the back of the net. She turned to face him, a triumphant smile on her face.

"Now what was that you were saying about me never being able to kick your ass?"

His cheeks coloured slightly as he looked down at the ice. "Cocky aren't we?"

"Nope. I was just confident." She stuck her tongue out at him. "But I have to admit, kicking your ass was pretty easy!" She knew that she was winding him up even further, but the look on his face was priceless.

Vaughn dropped his hockey stick and started skating towards, his arms outstretched infront of him. Sydney screamed and realised that he was about to chase her. She too dropped her stick and tried to skate away from him. She started laughing which made her harder for her to skate, and the fact that he was a much better skater than her didn't exactly help.

She turned her head to see that he was only a couple of feet away from her. She was thinking about what she should do, when she felt his arms wrap around her waist and they both fell to the floor.

Sydney laughed and turned to face him. "Are you happy now?" She joked, wondering how stupid they both must look just lying on the ice.

Vaughn nodded. "Actually I am. I now know what it must have been like all those months ago when you fell on your ass…" Sydney hit him on the chest and shook her head.

"You're unbelievable! You know that?" She was pretending to be mad at him, but his smile was making that impossible to do.

"Well, I've been told on a few occasions." He tightened his grip around her waist, his eyes gazing into hers. Sydney smiled, lowering her face to his.

"No, all jokes aside. You really are unbelievable." She placed a light kiss on his lips. "And I'm unbelievably lucky to be your wife." She kissed him again, only this time the kiss lasted a lot longer.

"No, I'm the lucky one." Vaughn told her, his hand coming up to caress her cheek.

"Actually, I was right. I am the lucky one." Vaughn looked at her strangely. "I beat your ass at hockey." She gave him one last kiss before moving out of his embrace and standing up. "Wait until I tell Weiss about this…" She smiled at him and skated towards the benches, knowing that any minute he would follow her.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 

"So what would you like to do now beautiful?" Vaughn asked, wrapping his arm around her waist as they walked back to the car. She took his arm and looked at his watch.

"Well it's only just gone 4, so maybe we could go see Weiss and then do something else?" She suggested and Vaughn smiled.

"Ok, but on one condition…"

"Name it."

"You don't tell him about what happened back there." He glanced back at the building as he opened the car door for her.

Sydney laughed and climbed into the car. "Oh, you mean me beating you at hockey?" He looked at her with his puppy eyes, knowing that she couldn't say no to him now. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine. I suppose I can keep it a secret for now." She kissed him on the cheek as he started the car.

"Should we perhaps call him and tell him that we're coming over?"

"No, let's just turn up!" Sydney shrugged and continued to look out of the window. "Hey, do you remember…"

"Last Christmas?" He finished her sentence for her.

Sydney laughed, turning to face him. "How did you know that was what I was going to say?" She looked at him seriously, wondering how he could possibly have known.

"Because everytime we talk about Weiss, I can tell that you are remembering what he did last Christmas."

** Flashback **

"Hey guys," Weiss started a conversation as he unpacked the various baubles from their containers. "Thanks for letting me help decorate your house. It's not as fun doing it when you live by yourself." Sydney stood up from the couch and gave him a hug.

"**Don't mention it. Besides if we hadn't have asked you, I would have ended up decorating the whole house myself." She rolled her eyes. "Michael's not much of a decorator!" She whispered in Weiss' ear loud enough for Vaughn to hear her. **

**He picked up the nearest piece of tinsel and tossed it at her. "I heard that."**

**Weiss jumped up from the floor and left the room, returning minutes later with a bag. "I have a gift for you guys." Sydney smiled, as she went and sat on her husband's knee. They both watched as Weiss brought a set of fairy lights out of the bag. "These are to go on the roof of the house. I was thinking that maybe we could drape them down…" He began to get lost in his thoughts as Sydney and Vaughn looked at each other and shook their heads. They had agreed to let Weiss decorate the inside of the home, but they hadn't mentioned doing anything to the outside. **

"**Er, Weiss…. I don't think that we should…" **

"**Ok, so you guys have to decorate the tree." He cut Sydney off, not listening to a word that she was saying. "And I'll go and sort out the roof." Before they could object he was out of the house. They both started laughing, as they pictured what the outside of their new home could end up looking like. **

"**Well you heard the man, we best started decorating." Sydney stood up and held out her hand to help him up. **

**They began to decorate the tree, and every so often Vaughn would stop and switch on the TV but the minute he sat down to watch, Sydney would throw more decorations at him and switch it off again. **

**Forty minutes later they were standing infront of a perfectly decorated tree. Sydney leaned back onto Vaughn's chest, his arms wrapped securely around her. **

"**I think we make a good team." He whispered in her ear, before trailing kisses down her neck. **

"**What do you mean we? I decorated most of this tree." She objected and spun around to face him. **

"**Well what's yours is mine." He laughed, leaning forward to kiss her. Scooping her up in his arms, he walked over to the couch and lay her down on it. He lay down beside her and deepened the kiss. **

"**Wait." Sydney pushed away from him. "What about Weiss?" **

"**What about him?" Vaughn asked as he tried to kiss her again, only she turned her head so he caught her cheek and not her lips.**

"**Well he's been out there for a very long time. It doesn't take that long to hang out lights." **

"**You wanna go check on him?" She nodded so he helped her up. She grabbed a jacket from the back of the chair and they walked outside to find the ladder that Weiss had used, lying on the grass. **

"**What the hell happened here?" Sydney asked as they both looked at the discarded ladder. **

"**Er… guys?" They heard Weiss' voice and spun around to see him hanging onto the chimney. **

**Sydney laughed and threw her hand over her mouth. "What are you doing?" She was finally able to ask.**

"**I was putting up the lights and the ladder fell!" He readjusted his grip on the chimney. "I actually thought of shouting down the chimney to you guys, but I didn't know if it was a real chimney or not." **

**Sydney and Vaughn looked at each other and tried not to laugh. Only Weiss could manage to get stuck on their rooftop on Christmas Eve. **

"**A little help here would be nice…." He shouted down to them. He was shivering from the cold; he had only gone out wearing a thin jumper, not thinking that he would be outside for very long. **

**Vaughn picked up the ladder and propped it up to the side of the house. Weiss quickly moved away from the chimney and rejoined his friends on the ground.**

"**I'm thinking maybe lights we're the way to go…" He told them and ran back inside the house to get warm. **

** End Flashback **

"He is never going to live that down is he?" Vaughn asked as he pulled the car into Weiss's driveway.

"Not as long as I'm around." Sydney laughed. They got out of the car and walked up to his doorstep.

They knocked and a couple of seconds later Weiss appeared at the door. They started laughing again when they saw him, and he just stood there looking confused.

"Hey guys, whatcha laughing at?"

Sydney quickly hit Vaughn's chest, silently telling to him stop laughing. "Just some lame joke that he told in the car." Vaughn shook his head and sighed. "Can we come in?"

"Sure." Weiss walked into his house and they followed him inside. "It's your anniversary today right?"

Sydney nodded and walked into Vaughn's arm. "It sure is."

"What have you been doing to celebrate?"

"We went the beach and played hockey for a little while." Sydney replied as they three of them went to sit in the living room.

"You kick his ass?" Weiss asked her.

Sydney's smile grew. "Totally." They high-fived, while Vaughn groaned and threw his head back against the couch.

"I am here you know!" He pointed out, staring at them both.

"Aww, I'm sorry." Sydney gave him a kiss on the cheek. "He put up a fair fight!" She told Weiss and once she thought that Vaughn wasn't looking she shook her head and mouthed 'it was too easy!'

"Hey I saw that!" Vaughn playfully punched her arm and then folded his own arms across his chest and pretended to sulk.

Weiss and Sydney rolled their eyes at him and continued to talk. He pretended to not be listening, but a couple of minutes later he couldn't help but rejoin the conversation. Sydney and Vaughn stayed with Weiss for just under an hour before leaving to continue with their celebrations.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

They drove around for a while, thinking of what they could do next. Sydney's stomach rumbled, breaking the comfortable silence that had filled the car. She laughed as she placed her hand over her stomach, a sheepish smile appearing on her face.

"It looks like you've decided what we should do next!" He joked, as he moved the car into the next lane; the perfect restaurant coming to mind.

"Yeah, I guess we should probably eat. We haven't eaten much today." She smiled at him and then looked out of the window, wondering where it was he was taking her. "Where are going?"

"I know the perfect place." He smiled and didn't say anymore. He knew that she would soon realise where they were going with him having to tell her.

She continued to look out of the window, trying to spot any landmarks that would give her a clue as to where they were going. After a couple of minutes she finally started to recognise some building and knew immediately where he was taking her.

They were going to their restaurant. The restaurant that they always went to, regardless of the occasion. She smiled, and glanced at him to see that he too was smiling.

Ten minutes later, Vaughn pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car, quickly running to open her door. She thanked him with a kiss and then took his hand as they walked towards the entrance of the restaurant.

Chez Mimi was one of the most romantic restaurants in Los Angeles, and it also served the best French cuisine in the city. Everything about the restaurant was perfect, They had a man playing a piano inside, providing the ideal romantic setting, and sometimes there were even singers who would sing love ballads while everyone ate.

The minute they walked through the door, Sydney could feel the romantic atmosphere. Vaughn spotted a hostess walking towards them, while Sydney glanced around the restaurant at all the couples.

They were quickly seated close to the piano. Sydney smiled as she took her seat. She loved coming to this restaurant, and although there were other couples in the room, she always felt as if it were just her and Michael.

After they were seated, a waiter came over to them to take their drink orders. "Bonsoir, bienvenue Chez Mimi." It was custom for the waiter to greet the guest in French as the owner felt that it made the experience more authentic. After that, it was the guests choice whether they continued to speak French, or went back to English.

"Merci beaucoup." Vaughn replied, all traces of his American accent gone as he started to speak his native language.

"Vous parlez français trés bien." Vaughn simply smiled, deciding not to explain the reason why he spoke perfect French.

"Souhaitez-vous prendre un apéritif?"

Vaughn ordered them each a glass of red wine while they looked over the menu. The waiter left to get them their drinks, leaving them alone.

"Michael, thank you for bringing me here." Sydney reached across the table and placed her hand over his.

"Hey, a celebration wouldn't be a celebration without coming to Chez Mimi." He picked up her hand and brought it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on top of it.

They started to look at the menu, but every so often, they would look up and catch each other's eye. They fitted in with every other couple in the room; they were young and in love.

**Flashback **

**They came to Chez Mimi to celebrate sixth months of being married. They had just finished eating when Michael stood up and walked around the table. He smiled at her and cupped her face with his hands. He leant down and passionately kissing her. **

"**Close your eyes." He whispered in her ear. She looked at him for a few seconds and then did as he asked, although she felt ridiculous sitting in a packed restaurant with her eyes shut, but she trusted him so she remained like that. **

**A couple of minutes later, she noticed that the song the man at the piano had been playing changed. She was curious about what was happening but she kept her eyes shut. She sat patiently waiting until she finally heard his voice. **

"**Open your eyes baby." She slowly opened her eyes and looked at his seat but he wasn't there. Feeling slightly confused, she looked around until she spotted him standing beside the piano with a microphone in his hand.**

She felt a smile grow on her face as her eyes filled up with tears. He smiled back at her, although she could tell that he was nervous about what he was about to do.

"Syd, I love you more than anything in the world. This is for you sweetie…" He nodded at the man sitting at the piano who began playing the tune to Elvis Costello's 'She.'

"**She may be the face I can't forget, the trace of pleasure or regret. Maybe my treasure or the prize I have to pay. She may be the song that summer sings, maybe the children autumn brings. Maybe a hundred different things, within the measure of a day." Sydney listened to him sing, amazed at how great his voice sounded. She had only ever heard him sing in the shower, and he had always told her how he would hate singing in public. And yet, here he was singing to her in a packed restaurant. **

**He never once took his eyes off her as he continued with the next verse of the song. "She may be the beauty or the beast, maybe the famine or the feast, may turn each day into a Heaven or a Hell. She may be the mirror of my dreams, a smile reflected in a stream, she may not be what she may seem inside her shell..."**

**A few people in the restaurant 'awwed' as he continued to publicly declare his love for her. "She, who always seems so happy in a crowd. Whose eyes can be so private and so proud, no one's allowed to see them when they cry. She maybe the love that cannot hope to last, may come to leap from shadows in the past, that I remember 'till the day I die."**

**He smiled at her as he walked away from the piano and went over to their table. "She maybe the reason I survive. The why and wherefore kind of life. The one I care for through the rough and ready years." He held out his hand and she happily took it, being pulled to her feet. She felt a tear roll down her cheek but she no longer cared. She couldn't possibly love this man any more than she did at that moment. **

"Me, I'll take the laughter and your tears," he smiled at her as he wiped away the fallen tear. "And make them all my souvenirs. And when she goes I've got to be…  
the meaning of my life is," he paused, his arm wrapped around her waist, gently pulling her towards him. She rested one of her hands on his chest, while her other stroked his cheek. "She."

** End Flashback **


End file.
